Published 4:00 am, Saturday, August 15, 2009

Catherine Siskron of Berkeley uses the BART ticket machine to make change at Montgomery BART station on Thursday July 30, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif.

Catherine Siskron of Berkeley uses the BART ticket machine to make change at Montgomery BART station on Thursday July 30, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Getting to work during a BART strike

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So how are you getting to work on Monday?

It's no idle question for businesses whose employees rely on BART. Many spent Friday reminding their workers of the few options available if BART train operators go on strike Monday morning.

Talk to your boss about telecommuting. Try shifting your work schedule to skip what could be a horrific rush hour on the Bay Bridge. Try carpooling or taking the ferry.

Some businesses that already offer shuttle buses for employees are planning extra runs.

"Quite a few of our corporate clients are calling up and asking for some backup," said Gary Bauer, chief executive officer of Bauer's Intelligent Transportation in San Francisco. He expects to run an extra 10 to 20 buses next week, although he declined to name the clients who asked for them.

But so far, most companies aren't setting up van pools or hiring shuttles. They're hoping the strike will be brief, if it happens at all.

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"If it drags on, we'll have to assess the impact it's having and determine whether the alternatives are working, see what kind of hardship it is," said Greg Gable, spokesman for Charles Schwab, which has 2,850 employees in San Francisco.

Companies also wanted to remind their employees - and the public - that they will be open for business Monday, strike or no.

"We don't expect there will be any disruption in our service," said Tony Rau, spokesman for Kaiser Permanente, which has 49,000 Bay Area employees. The health plan's headquarters are just a few blocks from BART's 19th Street Station in Oakland.

A few businesses were even looking for ways to make money from the expected strike.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will offer rooms for $99 per night at its San Francisco hotels from Sunday through Thursday night. Commuters who don't want to brave the Bay Bridge traffic during the strike can book a room by calling (800) 546-7866 and asking for rate code SFB. The hotels - including the Serrano, the Triton and the Sir Francis Drake - will honor any booking made this weekend, even if the strike is averted.

The rooms won't necessarily be grand suites, however.

"It's what's available," said spokeswoman Nancy Uber. "What they have is what you get."